Saint or Sinner - Which are You?

I’ve been following the news story around here about the security guard that got killed at the Family Dollar store.  Our son is business partners with his cousin, so we have been attentive to the story.  The police apparently are investigating if the social media reports are true that the guard was shot (for doing his job) and asking someone to put on a mask.

I was surprised by my feelings of underlying anger when I went to the grocery store this morning.  I went early, as I always do, in order to avoid crowds and with the hope that the store has had a chance to restock.  I always avoid weekends.

Anyway, of the people that were shopping SO MANY of them were not wearing masks.  I know we were early and you would expect there would not be many people, but still, I couldn’t help but wonder . . .

Why do you feel you can just ignore our Governor’s order about everyone wearing a mask in a public, indoor, space?

How is it that the rest of us are trying SO hard, and you are being SO careless?

Do you have some magic forcefield that the rest of us don’t?

I was genuinely surprised at how irritated it made me to see people being so careless.  I don’t get it.  I admit that more than once I imagined myself asking them what their problem was, but I definitely know better than to do that, so my personal restraint prevented me from opening my mouth.

While I may get frustrated about the behavior of people, in today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles (Chapter 11), Peter seemed to show some personal restraint when he was facing the apostles and the others gathered around him.

There was a big discussion going on about baptizing Gentiles.  You may recall Gentiles were not Jewish, “circumcised believers,” so the question about allowing them to be baptized” loomed in the air.

But Peter had experienced a vision and through this vision came to realize that, shockingly, even the Gentiles could be baptized.

Peter asked the crowd, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?  He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,” following what he understood from his vision.

You see, before this exchange, a man named Cornelius had his own vision.  He was “devout and God-fearing” and so was his whole household.  In his vision, he was told to find Peter, so he sent a couple of his servants to find him.

This was at the time Peter had his vision as well.  So Peter went with the servants, and to make a long story short, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Cornelius and everybody in his household.  This is what led to Peter’s recognition that Gentiles, too, could be baptized, for if Cornelius’ entire household could receive the Holy Spirit how could you withhold baptism from them?

What we can see in this event that took place (be sure to read it in its entirety in Acts Chapter 10), is that everyone was pretty well stuck in their ideas about who should and should not be baptized, but God intervened, which led to Peter declaring, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.”

So you could look at my grocery store trip and consider two sides of the coin.  Here I was, in my righteousness, doing what I was supposed to, and there were the others, not doing what they were supposed to be doing. 

But, “in truth” as Peter revealed, God loves us all.  Even when we do not do what we are supposed to do, he still loves us.  And the truth is, sometimes we are the saint, and sometimes we are the sinner, so it is really good news for us that God doesn’t show any partiality.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net